Borrowed Time

Chapter 101

Late night thoughts consumed Juliette like an old friend, but she didn't want to deal with them.  She didn't want to think about how early they had to get up to get to the airport, or how likely they were to be late, she didn't want to panic about the plane or think about the sound of the jets and the feeling of the dry, still air... She didn't want to think about it.  Honestly, she was bored laying in bed alone, staring at the ceiling.

She shifted onto her side and saw Micheal and Shelby both sleeping peacefully, Shelby's arm around Micheal's waist, his body tucked against hers... They really were an image of love, of beauty... Of something that people should want to be around.  She envied them in a way, even though she had her own great love story.

It would've been nice to know her lover from a young age, to be familiar with their embrace before loving them... Her lover.

She wanted to call Esme, to hear their scratchy voice and smile at the way that they pronounced their words lazily, not enunciating as sleep continued to plauge them... But she wanted them to rest more than anything, and if it was 1:00AM in California, it was 4:00AM in New York... She wasn't doing that to them... But she also wasn't going to stay in this hotel room alone.

Juliette rolled out of bed and got dressed as quietly as possible before she crept out of the room, closing it gently behind her, wincing at the click... She didn't want to wake anyone up, they looked too peaceful for words... But if they had to be up in two hours, there was no way that she was going to try to sleep.  She'd just sleep on the plane, it was no big deal... Or during their layover, either one was fine.

She walked down to the lobby and out the door, feeling a cool night breeze as she pulled up the hood of her sweater - an old worn one that she'd stolen from Esme's closet so long ago that it might as well just belong to her... She wanted to give it back, it didn't smell as much like Esme as she wanted it to, but she'd become accustomed to having it all times.  At this point it felt like a safety blanket and she wasn't going to go without it.

Juliette sat down on the stone wall near the entrance to the hotel, barely illuminated by the lights that came from under the awning... She stared at the street, at the way that traffic was still zipping by as though it was the middle of the day... Hollingsworth was practically silent by 10:00PM, even on the weekends, there was nothing going on... This was a complete change of pace, one that she appreciated.  She liked the white noise of the cars, even if she didn't love the smell of the gasoline.

"Isn't it a little late to be out there alone?" Juliette jumped off the ledge and swung around, fists raised before she saw a tired woman a few years older than her in a blazer... She worked behind the front desk. Shit, she'd almost killed a front desk worker out of sheer fear. "Woah, hey calm down... I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just on my break." She insisted, and Juliette nodded, clearing her throat as she lowered her arm, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

"Sorry, just... Jumpy." She mumbled, and the girl nodded, not seeming too upset.

"Hey, I get it. Can't be too careful around people, right?" She asked, and Juliette nodded, feeling relieved that she hadn't felt offended by almost getting punched in the head by her... She just hadn't wanted another gun in her face, and she never knew what people were gonna do to her next.

"Right." She responded, watching her dig out a pack of cigarettes and light one before holding it out to Juliette with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you want a cigarette?" She asked, and Juliette shook her head. The smell of someone else smoking was nice though, it made her heart feel like it was beating a little more steadily.

It reminded her of home.

"No, I don't smoke." Juliette said, and that earned her a strange look and a chuckle as the girl took a long drag from her cigarette, holding the smoke for a moment before she released it, staring out into the street.